Week ending 16th March by Mason Norton

After the President's Trophy, Everards Brewery Divisions One & Two returned with full (ish) programmes this weekend. In Div1, leaders Anstey Town remain unbeaten on the League and are now within touching distance of the title after a 5-0 win at Birstall United Reserves. Dan Page and Casey Richardson both bagged braces, Joe Harris also getting on the scoresheet. A win at home to Ingles Development next Saturday will see them take the title, whilst a draw would be enough if both Leicester Atletico & Hinckley LR Reserves drop points next weekend. 


Road continue to put pressure on the second-placed Atletico, as Hinckley LR Reserves won 5-1 at Kirby Muxloe Reserves this Saturday. Ethan Fox had scored for Kirby in the first half along with Stan Rossell for Road, and the scores remained level until the hour mark, when the floodgates firstly opened, and then flew off their hinges, Road scoring four times in 19 minutes, two more goals from Rossell to round off the hat-trick, Micah Rowe and sub Jasper Clarke also scoring. Hinckley LR are three points behind Atletico with a game in hand and a superior goal difference. Kirby, meanwhile, may well have played their last game for this season, their postponement at Sutton Bonington still 'sub judice' and being their only game outstanding, having been eliminated from all the cups, and this may well turn out to be Kirby's farewell to the LSL, as their reserves have lodged a provisional resignation for the end of the season. 


That resignation may well turn out to be too late to save Barrow Town Reserves, who like their first team stand on the brink. They suffered another heavy defeat, 8-0 at home to Holwell Sports Reserves, Tallen Burt scoring a hat-trick, Ally Sutton and sub Gabriel Philbin a brace of braces and Brook Isherwood with one. Barrow remain pointless, and in the whole of men's open-age Saturday football in Leicestershire, only County League 1 team Leicester Bharat Foxes have a worse record, having played 17, lost 17, and recorded a goal difference of minus 149 next to Barrow's minus 69 from played 13, lost 13. Had the League's Management Committee chosen to punish no-shows with points deductions rather than walkovers this season, then Barrow Reserves' record would be even worse and would have them well adrift on minus 12 points. 


Should that precedent be followed with regards to the Sutton-Kirby game, then Barrow's relegation will be virtually confirmed, after Sutton Bonington won 2-0 at home to Dunton & Broughton United, James Dann scoring just before half-time, before Joe Brown wrapped up the points on 78 minutes. A walkover would put SB 15 points clear of Barrow Reserves with Barrow having five games to go and a much inferior goal difference. There's only one relegation spot in Division One after the recent resignation of Sporting Markfield saw their record expunged. 


In Everards Brewery Division Two, it was the title decider, as Loughborough Students Development welcomed St Patricks to Holywell Park. Like many of the races at Cheltenham Festival this year, it ended up being a bit of an anti-climax in the end. The Students raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time, and finished up 4-0 winners in a dominant performance, Owain Edwards (2), Callum Hamilton and Sam Williams the scorers. That sends the Students top of the table, and guarantees their promotion to Division One next season. A win next Saturday at home to Sileby Town Reserves will see them crowned Div2 champions. St Patricks, for their part, need just a point at home to Loughborough next Saturday to book their promotion to Div1. 


At Caterpillar, Desford & Caterpillar Reserves had a day to forget, losing 4-1 at home to Melton Town Academy, Reuben Nelson (2), Amir Dill and an OG scoring for Melton, Arlie Greet signalling a second-half consolation for the hosts. There were two games pencilled in in the Soar Valley, but Mountsorrel Amateurs' game at home to Loughborough fell victim to overnight rain leaving standing water on the pitch, whilst Sileby Town Reserves, whose ground stands high above the valley, welcomed Rothley Imperial. That game resulted in the weekend's only draw on the LSL coupon, 1-1, Ben Hetterley scoring for Rothley in the first half, Matt Brown pulling back the equaliser for Sileby in the second. 


Ramble Round will be back later in the week for a Midweek Special looking at the first two quarters in the Chairman's Trophy, Loughborough Students Development continuing their quest for the unprecedented quadruple at home to Leicester Atletico on Tuesday night, whilst Hinckley LR Reserves welcome St Patricks on Wednesday evening. Ramble Round the Premier and Ramble Round the Divisions both return at the weekend, when we see how many of the three divisions are still live. See you then.